Calabria: "Multa bella"

22/1/11

Praia al Mare, Calabria, Italia



God really spent a lot of time on Italy



Here's a funny story for what happened two nights ago: There I was, in the bed of a 20 Euro a night apartment, minding my own z's and resting quite peacefully, when all of a sudden I was aroused by a loud banging noise very close by. I soon became cognizant that the thunderous pounding was coming from my window, and that it was deliberately done, in an endless repetition of 7 or 8 hits at a time, with 20 seconds between. I realized it was someone outside my window, at 01:00 in the morning, a full three hours after I had fallen asleep. What was going on? Why was someone out there?

The man outside kept repeating something along the lines of "abre la porta": open the door. I should say that my apartment was on the ground floor and had a door of its own inside a foyer of sorts of the entire building. This guy was probably referring to the outside door, not my own, but in the confusion of the sudden ruckus, I could not be sure.

Storm's a brewin'. Clouds are rolling in from the sea. Rumblings a-plenty.


My heart began racing once I realized that this situation was not going away by itself and that I potentially had a real problem on my hands. Finally, I turned on the light and started talking to the man outside, who had by this point begun opening the steel shutters over the window and was striking the glass itself, which is a much louder and more frightening of a sound. I told the man "No, no, no. No abre," in a somewhat shaky voice, but I tried to find out perche he wanted me to do that. He said he had an apartment inside but could not get in. I wasn't sure whether to believe him and was debating it, when all of a sudden I heard another banging from the opposite direction, at the door to the foyer outside my room.

This really put me off, and I asked cuantas personas, to which he responded due (two). Due? That couldn't be good. Why didn't he tell me he wasn't alone to begin with? Was his partner there the whole time waiting for me to open the door so he could immediately set upon me and my meager belongings? Damn, I was paranoid that morning, thinking the most irrational and outrageous thoughts, but then again, what would have been rational at that stage? Well, I quickly found out, and there is a happy ending, indeed.

The other person must have walked around the building, for I heard a second voice, and it belonged to either a woman or a man with issues (or a feminine parrot? a trained robot? my schizophrenia?). This put me a bit at ease (who wouldn't let unknown women of the night into the building?), and I agreed to open the door. There I was, in my boxers, staring intently at the door knob while the blackness of the night enveloped me. I reached out and grabbed it, at last opening the door. My instinct was to run back to my room and quickly shut the door, but I stayed out to confront the mysterious visitors face to face. A few seconds of waiting, and two shadowy figures emerged from the night.

It turns out that the man I had met from the apartment upstairs, and the woman was the lady who rented me the room. It also turns out that the foyer door locks if you close it, especially if the key is on the inside. I had seen the man try to close the door with the key on the outside and, failing, giving up. Naturally, having the nickname "Patch" given to me in 7th grade for my tendency to fix problems and having it stick in my mind, I wanted to close the door.


Don't worry: Be happy, for beauty like this exists.


So I took the key out of the outside, stuck it on the inside, and shut the door, wiping my hands off and thoroughly satisfied at a job well done. The problem had been that I had closed and locked the door before the man told me not to lock it, that that was "male," so this time I did not lock it but only closed it. Well, wouldn't you know, that still prevents anyone from entering, and there doesn't seem to be a second mode of entry or a second working key. Thus, all the banging was the result of my actions, though I didn't know it at the time. Also, I was in no danger whatsoever, though my thumping heart and slightly nauseous stomach would have told you otherwise! Furthermore, the man and lady were not mad, for I think they could tell how unsettled I was. And maybe they liked the boxer look. Probably not.

The following day, yesterday, could not hope to match that episode on a level of adventure or mayhem, but it certainly did provide me with scenic spots galore and a healthy respect for Italian cyclists, who traverse these mountains every day.


The setting sun frames a mountain landscape




Indeed, the coastal road, while perhaps less severe when compared to the inner roadways of the country and having lower passes, probably entails more net elevation gain, for the road is continually climbing and descending all along the cliffs of the coast. This makes for slow going, yes, but it also provides more beauty than I could have hoped for. Overall, I am very glad with the path and am happy to be taking my time.

When I felt about ready to call it a day, I no longer was searching desperately for a campsite, having accepted that, in January in Italia, 95% of the sites are chiuso (closed). Instead, I searched for a cheap albergo or B&B. I believe I hit jackpot this time around, for I located a family-run B&B that was only 25 Euro for the one night, which is fine to start with. The man is extremely friendly and willing to speak slowly with me and teach me a bit of Italian in the process. Furthermore, the wife/mother is originally from Russia and so is still learning Italian herself. But the two are among the most kind businesspeople I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. For instance, when I was in need of a bancomat, Fausto drove me across town to the bank, then on the way back took me to a museum showcasing some local art and finally stopped at the supermarket so that I could pick up some food for the next day's ride. When we got back to the house, Valentina had cooked some Russian food and they invited me to sit down for dinner. The whole night, I felt immensely relaxed and welcomed into a family. I was not merely a kid who is paying to steal a room, hot water, and electricity for the night. Experiences like this, when you receive an unexpected gift, are my favorite. Well, this and not being awoken in the middle of the night by banging on the window.